The Singer
by Aviantei
Summary: [One Shot; Devil Survivor] Even after he saved her, there was still more time they could spend together. [Slight MCxHaru] [Twelve Shots of Summer: Second Raid]


**The Singer**

By: Aviantei

A _Devil Survivor_ One Shot

[Twelve Shots of Summer Second Raid 9/12]

* * *

In all honesty, Kazuya had been leading his friends to stay the night as Gin's bar on the off chance that he would be able to see Haru again, and the fourth night of the lockdown proved no different. It was Midori's first night there, but even she didn't raise any questions as to why the group knew a bartender, mainly because the entire day had been too exhausting.

Having your Death Clock at zero for a day certainly would do a number on anyone's nerves. Having gone through the process two times already, a third soon approaching, Kazuya could speak from experience.

With the power gone, Gin had already lost his supply of food and drink, but Kazuya could tell that everyone, especially Yuzu, was more comfortable with a roof over their heads as opposed to sleeping in the park. Given the circumstances, even a lack of running water was acceptable.

That night, Gin wasn't there, but he had given Kazuya a spare key after their first stay. Almost everyone immediately collapsed once inside, Yuzu almost passed out on the couch as Midori typed on her COMP, probably composing an email, looking all the more out of place perched on a bar stool. Atsuro had taken up residence in a corner, cranking the handheld charger for his COMP, looking lost deep in thought.

Kazuya still had some energy in his worn out legs and headed to the backroom. His own COMP began to chirp with email alerts as Naoya's system restriction was lifted for the evening, but Kazuya ignored them. Gin had previously set up a makeshift bed the first night, and sure enough, Haru was sprawled out there, only half under the blankets, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey," Haru said. As Kazuya got closer, he could see how worn out the indie singer looked, even in the fading light from the window. Haru faintly smiled, letting out a dry laugh. "I didn't expect there to be a party or anything." She paused, frowning, and Kazuya let the silence drag out for once. "Hey, about earlier…"

"I know," Kazuya said, not knowing what else to say. He had managed to play it cool the whole time, but that hadn't stopped his heart from pounding during their conversation earlier in the evening. For some reason, he had the feeling if he had said the wrong thing, then… "What you were trying to do, I knew about it."

Haru let out a soft "Huh?" as Kazuya sat down beside her. Haru slowly propped up, and Kazuya navigated to his emails, ignoring the messages already coming in from his friends. Finding the Laplace Mail from that morning, he stopped, letting Haru read from the glowing screen.

 _3 At 17:00 outside the Shibuya Station, the Self-Defense Force will_ _ **fatally shoot**_ _a popular rock singer. It is suspected that this is a suicide._

Haru didn't say anything. Kazuya didn't feel like it was really his place to speak up first. After a few minutes, Kazuya shut his COMP, slipping it into his pocket, and the room became darkness again. By the time his eyes had adjusted, Haru let out another small chuckle.

"Guess my plan was pretty lame, huh?" She was trying to treat it like a joke, but not quite pulling it off. Kazuya could tell by now. It seemed, that when your lives were consistently in danger, knowing a person for four days was plenty of time to understand them. "Then again, everything I was thinking was wrong, but…" Some of the strength returned to Haru's voice. "Because you knew what I was going to do, is that why you said all of that stuff?"

"I said it because it was true," Kazuya answered. In retrospect, it could have seemed that way—that all of his reassurances had been planned to save her life. Even when she was feeling better, it appeared that Haru was a pessimist at heart. "We've been looking into the cause of the lockdown and a way to get out. I wouldn't lie to you about not being the cause of demons."

"Hm, what if you found out I was?"

"I would have found another way." Kazuya kept his own voice soft, half trying to be soothing, half trying to not give the others a reason to interrupt if they overheard. "I would have talked to you forever. I would have dragged you away from the SDF by force if I had to." Being able to see the Death Clocks almost gave Kazuya the responsibility to save others. Sure, there had been others he hadn't been able to keep alive, but he would do everything he could otherwise.

"Geez." Haru ran a hand through her hair, letting out a great sigh. "Why… Before you saved me from those demons when my sequencer busted, again when I was on stage. And now this…" She stayed still, not appearing to have enough courage to face him. "Why are you so intent on keeping me alive?"

"Well," Kazuya said, "you said it was okay for me to come onto you."

A small laugh immediate escaped Haru's mouth, this time more enthusiastic than the one before it. "If you keep talking like that, your girlfriend's going to get the wrong idea," she warned. Still, Kazuya noted, that she didn't sound displeased.

"Yuzu's not my girlfriend." He understood how everyone got the impression, but they weren't really dating. Still, he smiled, glad that Haru still had enough energy to laugh like that. "And I was only half joking," he admitted, causing Haru's head to finally rise up. "You don't deserve to die like that. Your music is really good, and I would miss talking to you. Hey, after we lift this lockdown…"

"You think it's possible?" They weren't that far apart to start with, but Haru shifted the slightest bit closer to him. It was the first time she looked genuinely curious to Kazuya. "All these demons, and the SDF barricade…"

Kazuya wondered just how much of an explanation he could give with what little he understood, but also without sounding crazy. "There's a lot of things going on right now," he said. "But I do think there's a way to stop all of this. I don't think running away is an option, so there's no choice but _to_ fix it." Realizing that he was getting worked up, Kazuya relaxed, leaning against a nearby stack of boxes. "If you want to, you could come along and help us."

"Help you?" Haru echoed. She frowned a bit, squeezing her arm. "I haven't been able to find batteries for my sequencer yet…I can't be a demon tamer like you guys."

"We can get you a COMP." The words almost rushed out, and Kazuya didn't care that he wasn't thinking things all the way through. "If you can summon demons like no one else can, then a COMP should be easy. You can join our group, and if you don't want to fight up front, that's okay. But this way, you'd be a lot safer and…I'd really like it if you came along."

Again, silence. Despite everything, it didn't feel awkward. Kazuya watched Haru, until she shifted, the movement seeming sudden in comparison to her previous immobility. She rested against the same box as Kazuya, who scooted over to allow her not to lean back on the corner. Once they were both settled, Haru's side pressed against his, her head settling on his shoulder.

"Yeah…" she said, her voice filled with that subtle happiness Kazuya had learned to recognized, "I think I'd like that."

* * *

Getting up the next morning and explaining to Yuzu that her favorite idol had been asleep in the room right next to theirs and Kazuya had been with her wasn't easy. Heck, explaining it to everyone wasn't easy, and Yuzu was the most miffed throughout the morning. Still, they had a lot on their plate—protecting both Miss Mari and Keisuke, according to the Laplace Mail—so getting Haru her own COMP took priority.

Kazuya's group had already fought their fair share of rouge demon tamers, but they had pretty much destroyed the captured COMPs in order to keep them out of the wrong hands, especially since Atsuro's tiny laptop bag only had so much space, and carrying that many around would just make them a target anyway. In a mix of fortunate and unfortunate, it wasn't hard to find more tamers using their COMPs for the wrong reasons, and soon Haru had one of her own, the rest joining the scrap heap.

"Man, this is way different than the sequencer…" Haru mumbled, navigating the COMP's menus. Given that most people were clustered in areas like parks and schools, it had been easy to find an empty area in the Yamanote Circle for Haru to form her contract in. Finally, she was able to select the activation menu, her thumb hovering over the button to start.

"Do you want help?" Kazuya asked, close to her side. "As long as the demon's defeated, it doesn't matter who deals the finishing blow. The COMP will still form the contract with you, since you summoned it. I could…" Kazuya reached to his pocket for his own COMP, but Haru shook her head.

"This isn't my first time doing this," she said, and Kazuya stilled himself. "It's a bit different, but I should be able to manage it." Noticing his reaction, Haru smiled. "Thanks, tho, but I'd like you think of me as more than a damsel in distress." She took a deep breath, and Kazuya stepped back, far enough to stay out of the conflict, but still close enough to provide healing if he needed to. "Alright, here goes. COMP activate!"

In an instant, the air crackled. For a second, it looked as if the air split into two, then a demon was in its place, definitely a Megami type by the looks of it. It was beautiful and graceful, taking a moment to size up Haru before tilting its head. "You summoned me then?" it asked. "Then we shall fight to see if I may earn my freedom."

"Bring it on," Haru challenged, and Kazuya watched as her muscles tensed up. Then, just as easily she relaxed, opening her mouth to sing. " _In a city cold and lifeless…_ "

Kazuya recognized the song. It was the one Haru had been singing the second time they had saved her from demons. Aya's homework to her, the incomplete song. The Megami reacted almost instantly, charging forward. Haru easily sidestepped it, striking it in the back. The Harmonizer did its job, and the demon stumbled, dropping the flaming pot it was carrying to the ground.

" _Painted dark with my heart's blackness…_ "

Again, the Megami was provoked, and charged forward without recovering its pot. This time, Haru didn't dodge, instead aiming a kick at its stomach and connected. The demon shrunk back a bit, but didn't completely retreat. Already, it was looking worse for wear, and Kazuya guessed it had about one more good hit until it was done.

Haru shook her arm out, looking slightly out of breath. Still, Kazuya could tell she was smiling, almost the most alive he had seen her since her first street side performance, back on the first day of the blackout…

" _But I will carry on!_ " Haru held out the last note, her voice projecting just fine without an amp or speaker. That line was new though, one she hadn't sung before. The last note held out for longer than Kazuya could imagine for himself, and once again the Megami seemed agitated, but wary to attack again.

Instead, Haru charged forward, pulling her fist back. Her mouth was closed, but it almost seemed like the last note echoed still.

Without hesitation, Haru brought her fist to the Megami's face, leaving it to shudder before dispelling into the COMP.

"Then the contract is complete… I will now serve you…"

Haru took a few deep breaths, some of them coming out shaky. "Man, what a rush. That cleared my head. Maybe I can finish your song after all, Aya…" she mumbled, looking at her fist like she didn't believe what had just happened. Kazuya put his hands together, a one man applause. Haru blinked, then smiled at him. "How's that for demon taming?"

Kazuya smiled back, stepping forward and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"The lockdown don't stand a chance."

* * *

I recently bought _Overclocked_ and have been playing my way through it. In making it through the fourth day, I started to seriously question why they didn't just give Haru a COMP. It certainly would have made the Belial fight easier, that's for sure, not to mention guarding Haru in the Haru/Gin route...

Anyway, this was written for the [Twelve Shots of Summer: Second Raid] challenge. The prompt for this week was "Mercy," which made me think of the moment where you stop Haru from committing suicide. In a way, it's an act of mercy. In other ways, Haru shows no mercy once her fighting spirit gets awakened (I seriously feel like she would make a spectacular addition to your teams were that an option). Mostly, I wanted to play with alternate scenarios, and this one fir the bill...

I borrowed some elements from the manga, such as the MC's name and the fact that on night one the protagonist gang stays over at Gin's bar. Also, the manga's getting a US release this fall, so that's pretty awesome, too...

I also realize slight aspects of this are shippy, but, hey, I guess I do ship it.

I almost accidentally wrote Keisuke into the opening scene before I remembered that he can't join your part til Day 5...but at least I caught it.

Man, so many facets in DeSu to explore... I think I'll be tackling a major story I've been poking at this winter, provided we run SOSS again...

Speaking of Sauces, tho! Like one shots? Like them weekly? Like the potential of a good conversation? Do check out the [Twelve Shots of Summer] C2 or forum, and you'll have a strong chance of fulfilling these things! There's a bunch of great reads and writers in there. And, hey, there may only be a few weeks of summer left, but you're still free to join us. We do love the company :)

Wait, there's only a month of summer left-?!

Anyway, next week's prompt is "Music Machina." I think I'll take the way too easy way out and poke at _UtaPri_ as a fandom...

Thanks for reading!

[POST] 080115


End file.
